Armenian Genocide commemorated in major Norwegian cities

April 25, 2016 - 10:34 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - A series of events were held in different parts of Norway on Sunday, April 24 to commemorate the 101st year of the Armenian Genocide.

Following the established tradition, Armenians and friends of Armenia in greater Oslo area gathered at great Norwegian humanist and committed friend of Armenians, Fridtjof Nansen’s grave to pay homage to the great man and remember the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Nansen’s grave has become a unique sanctuary and a memorial for the Genocide. Flowers were laid, followed by beautiful tunes of duduk. Nansen’s granddaughter and grand granddaughter were among the attendees.

Armenians of Bergen, the second biggest city of Norway, following their own established annual tradition, assembled at the Armenian Khachkar, a cross-stone dedicated to the memory of victims of the Armenian Genocide and to Fridtjof Nansen, located at Rekstensamlingene.

Earlier on Sunday, Armenians in the Southwest of Norway gathered at the memorial of Bodil Katarina Biorn, another great Norwegian, a missionary, a devoted friend of Armenians, eyewitness of the Genocide and caretaker of many Armenian orphans. Kragero community is the first community in Norway to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. Kragero was home to the great Norwegian humanist.

A host of events and initiatives commemorating the Armenian Genocide were held around the world on Sunday.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.